Clan Ojutai

While most on Tarkir bow to their overlords out of fear or awe, the monks and mystics of the Ojutai clan submit out of respect and a desire for knowledge. The clan seeks to learn how to truly embody the draconic aspect of cunning and has taken the dragon's eye as a symbol to represent this quest for enlightenment.
The Ojutai accept that there is a limit to the wisdom they can achieve in their short lifetimes. The dragons they revere, however, live much longer, and thus the clan believes these overlords deserve the honor that comes with the name of skywise. One of the greatest achievements for an Ojutai is to attract the personal notice and attention of an esteemed skywise; it is then expected that any and all teachings the dragon has to offer will be greedily devoured.
Ojutai orthodoxy holds that the dragons do not rule the clan, but rather guide those who serve them to a greater understanding of the world. Above all else, those in the clan value the benefits they reap thanks to the wisdom of their leaders. Accordingly, any who deviate from the teachings of Ojutai and his disciples are seen not as political dissidents, but as heretics following a false path to enlightenment. Such sacrilege is swiftly and brutally punished.

Structure

Monastic Sanctuaries. The clan is organized into a series of loosely connected temple complexes known as sanctuaries. Each is self-sufficient and self-organized, with leadership based on seniority and scholarly accomplishment. Most sanctuaries are small and have no permanent dragon inhabitants, consisting mostly of humans and ainok with some itinerant aven and djinn. The largest have standing populations of dragons, and the most promising students from other sanctuaries are sent to study there. Dragon's Eye is the greatest sanctuary, where Ojutai resides.

Clan Roles

Skywise. The dragons of the clan are aloof, solitary, and graceful. They have their own hierarchy, but it is largely inscrutable to humanoid members of the clan. What is clear is that the dragons are above the humanoids, and Ojutai is above all other dragons. Ojutai dragons seldom eat sapient beings—and almost never members of the clan—more out of distaste than anything else. Humanoid lives aren't held in high esteem; a particularly displeased dragon may simply kill a humanoid and is unlikely to face any consequences for doing so, although such behavior is considered somewhat unseemly.
Dragonspeaker. Learned Ojutai sometimes have the privilege of becoming heralds to noteworthy dragons. Occasionally, a dragon will take a human speaker and carry him or her on its shoulder or in its claws, but some dragons consider this undignified. Most prefer aven dragonspeakers for their ability to fly alongside. The herald speaks for the dragon, serving as an intermediary with lesser beings. If the dragon dies in battle, its speaker's life is forfeit, so speakers will fight to the death to defend their dragons.
Spellfists. These warriors, usually human or djinn, have trained for years to manipulate the subtle flow of magical energy. Although what they do can't properly be called spellcasting, it lends their movement and attacks a grace, speed, and fluidity that can only be described as supernatural.
Graceblades. Like spellfists, the graceblades channel energy. They do so not to empower their attacks, but to manifest mental weaponry. Becoming a graceblade requires understanding of spellfist technique and the ability to reach meditative clarity in the heat of battle.

Culture

Clan Values

Guidance of the Skywise. The Ojutai respect age, wisdom, and martial strength—traits that humanoids might possess, but that dragons exemplify. Many clan members refer to dragons as honored ones, and those they consider noble—especially their own dragon masters—they name the skywise. For a humanoid, attracting the personal notice of a dragon teacher is a great achievement. Doing so before middle age is almost unheard of. The Ojutai are as much a monastic order as a clan; leadership is earned by martial prowess and spiritual teaching rather than by heredity. Each humanoid member of the Ojutai holds both a martial rank and an academic rank. Any given individual may pursue either or both, and the two exist in parallel. The highest-ranked martial artist in a sanctuary commands that sanctuary's fighters, and the highest-ranked scholar teaches and leads the sanctuary in peacetime. On rare occasions and in smaller sanctuaries, the same person may hold both positions. Clothing among the Ojutai humanoids is humble, growing more elaborate as rank increases. Leaders, particularly scholars, dress very ornately. In part, this custom helps the dragons tell who's in charge without having to inspect the minute details of humanoid faces.
The Great Teacher remains largely aloof from the day-to-day affairs of the clan. He is concerned with enlightenment and teaching, not with the mundane details of humanoid society.

Language

Draconic, the Language of Scholars. Everyday business among the Ojutai is conducted in the human vernacular, and younger learners are permitted to study translations of the Great Teacher's lessons. True scholarship, however, requires understanding, reading, and speaking the language of dragons. Ojutai delivers his teachings in Draconic speech, and their true meaning might be obscured in lesser tongues. Most humanoids among the Ojutai can understand Draconic to some degree, although it is often considered taboo to read or speak Draconic unless taught directly by one of the skywise.
Many can understand at least the basic spoken language, particularly when the dragons enunciate slowly and clearly for their benefit. Relatively few can understand the complex spoken Draconic used in intense spiritual debates. Only a handful of humanoids can actually speak the language—and even then, since it has a physical component, their lack of wings and tail gives them a heavy "accent" and renders them incapable of communicating certain nuances. Having wings, aven have an advantage over humans in this regard, but only a slight one.

Military

For the Ojutai, magic and martial arts are deeply intertwined. Ojutai mages sometimes weave their spells using a series of martial forms, and Ojutai martial artists draw power from the magic around them. Ojutai mages call on their martial arts training to unleash devastating combination attacks. More so than dragons of other clans, Ojutai dragons are often accomplished spellcasters, augmenting their already impressive physical abilities with an arsenal of magic.

Religion

The Great Wheel

Clan members believe that souls are reincarnated in a cycle known as the Great Wheel. Ojutai teaches that the least among dragons is wiser and more powerful than the greatest of humans, just as the least among humanoids is wiser and more powerful than the greatest of mice. Thus, the goal of each soul on the Great Wheel is to attain the highest possible form of existence by being reborn as a dragon.

This belief suggests that the souls of dragons were once the souls of humanoids, but former lives in general—and those of dragons in particular—aren't considered a topic for polite conversation. It's borderline blasphemous to speculate that a particular dragon might be the reincarnation of a particular humanoid. Nonetheless, after the death of a widely respected monk, many Ojutai followers quietly look for signs of his or her reincarnation in subsequent draconic storms.

The dragonlord Ojutai is considered to exist outside the Great Wheel. Dogma states that the dragonlord was born in the first storm, already perfect and eternal, ready to impart his wisdom to lesser beings.

Infrastructure

Clan Architecture

Most sanctuaries are remote and inaccessible, built for easy travel by dragons but not land-bound creatures. Aven messengers carry missives between sanctuaries, but for other humanoids, leaving the sanctuary means an arduous and dangerous journey. Dragons are loath to carry humanoids, and never allow themselves to be ridden.

Every sanctuary, even those with no permanent dragon presence, includes open-air "runways" for dragons to land and take off, as well as a variety of perches and roosts. Doors and hallways are built big enough to accommodate even large dragons, although living quarters and practice rooms in most sanctuaries are human-scale.
Floating bells, used long ago to warn of dragon attacks, now serve as heralds of the skywise. Their pealing tells the humanoid inhabitants of a sanctuary to prepare for a visit from the honored ones.